San Diego’s honorary Bill Walton street might end up near local YMCA, while La Mesa chooses spot by Helix High

Despite earlier plans for a street near Balboa Park to bear Bill Walton’s name, it may actually be a block of Friars Road outside the Mission Valley YMCA that is transformed to honor the late, great baller. 

Shane Harris, the political activist working with the Walton family to honor hometown hero and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton in San Diego and La Mesa, revealed that the Mission Valley location is his pick among the final options. 

That YMCA is fitting, not only due to Walton’s longtime funding and support of the organization, but because it already has a Bill Walton statue, Harris said. 

“With the family’s backing, we’re continuing to explore that option,” Harris said. “With that option, we believe that that would be the most vital because of the fact that Bill had a big hand in the YMCA.” 

Yet Balboa Park is still in the mix, since Walton’s longtime home was near the park and his frequent bike route ran through it. 

“That also is very much still in play, but it looks like the Mission Valley option has sort of taken the dominance of interest among all stakeholders,” Harris explained. 

Harris is working with an unnamed city councilmember to bring the initiative to fruition. 

In a press conference last year, Harris joined Walton’s widow Lori Walton to announce an initiative to rename streets in San Diego and La Mesa after Bill Walton, who died at 71 in May 2024 from cancer. 

Despite the city of San Diego having a formal method in its charter to rename streets – each council member gets two honorary streets per term – it was actually the city of La Mesa, which has never done something similar to honor an individual, that will make the change first. 

On Tuesday, the La Mesa City Council voted unanimously to convert a section of Lowell Street near Walton’s alma mater Helix High School into Bill Walton Way. 

That quick action may be due to La Mesa being the smaller city. However, despite the speed, the effort stirred controversy in the city where Walton grew up. Two council members, Patricia Dillard and Laura Lothian, along with Harris, clashed over claims for credit for seeking the honor.

La Mesa’s current mayor, Mark Arapostathis, had his own gripes. Namely, that people assume La Mesa has yet to salute Walton, when he is already part of the city’s Walk of Fame and has a school gymnasium named after him. Both of those honors preceded Walton’s death. 

Councilmember Genevieve Suzuki tried to soothe her fellow councilmembers ahead of the vote on Tuesday. 

“There is never a limit to celebrating and memorializing good people,” Suzuki said. “I think this is a wonderful way to celebrate a son of La Mesa.”